Ramsar Wetlands
The Phru Khuan Khi Sian wetlands near the Thale Noi Lake are protected as a Ramsar wetland since 1998. It is a part of the larger Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area, created in 1975.
Kuan Ki Sian of the Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area is located at 07º50’N 100º08’E. in a Non-hunting Area, Phatthalung. Located just north of the very large Thale Luang (Lake Songkhla Complex) in the south of the country, it is one of the few surviving intact freshwater wetland ecosystems in Thailand. Among the specific wetland types found here are lake, marsh, Melaleuca (also termed "paperbark") swamp forest, paddy fields, and swamp grasslands.
"Kuans" are islands free of water for most of the year located in the Melaleuca swamp forest. Kuan Ki Sian is a knoll at 0–2 meters above mean sea level within the Thale Noi area. The Thale Noi area is home to more than 5,000 families, almost all of which rely on some resource extraction or other land use within the area. Activities include fishing, cattle grazing, cultivation, mat-making and tourism. The site is visited by more than 200,000 foreign and local visitors annually.
Read more about this topic: Songkhla Lake